Litter vacuum cleaner

ABSTRACT

A trash vacuum for cleaning littered ground or floor areas wherein the air intake opening into the fan housing is offset relative to the rotary axis of the fan so as to increase the flow of air through the housing whereby large litter items such as cartons and cans are moved through the lower portion of the housing into a collection receptacle with little if any contact with the fan.

United States Patent 1 1 Berg Apr. 9, 1974 [54] LITTER VACUUM CLEANER3,491,399 1/1970 Dolan et al. 15/353 x [75] Inventor: Robin L. Berg,Bloomington, Minn.

Primary ExaminerHarvey C. Hornsby [73] Assigneez B B. Fuller Company,St. Paul, c Moore Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Carlsen, Carlsen & Sturm [22]Filed: June 30, 1972 121 Appl. No.: 268,156 [57] ABSTRACT A trash vacuumfor cleaning littered ground or floor [52] U Cl. l 15/347 areas whereinthe air intake opening into the fan hous- [51] CL I l l n A47] 9/10 ingis offset relative to the rotary axis of the fan so as [58] Field 15/347353 to increase the flow of air through the housing whereby large litteritems such as cartons and cans are [56] References Cited moved throughthe lower portion of the housing into a collection receptacle withlittle if any contact with the UNITED STATES PATENTS fan. 2,809,38910/1957 Collins'et a] 15/347 X 3,112,511 12/1963 Lankenau 15/350 5Claims, 3 Drawing Figures LITTER VACUUM CLEANER BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION Trash vacuum cleaners of the type used to remove debris fromstreets and parking lots and other areas that may be heavily littered,frequently encounter such items as cartons and cans. It is, of course,desirable that such large objects be collected with minimal or no directcontact with the fan of the cleaner to avoid damaging the same. Existentmachines of the general type described herein collect both large (cans,cartons, etc.) and small (sand, shavings, etc.) items of debris in sucha manner as to require the impingement of essentially all of said debrison the vanes of the air moving fan.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the primary object of the presentinvention is to provide a trash or litter vacuum having a powered rotaryfan positioned between an inlet and a collection receptacle and creatinga strong air stream sufficient to move large trash articles such as cansinto the receptacle without the need of any substantial positiveengagement by the fan.

With this and other objects in view the invention broadly comprises awheeled frame supporting a fan housing with a fan mounted for rotationon a vertical axis in the upper portion thereof, the housing having atrash inlet in the bottom wall which is offset with respect to the fanaxis whereby large litter items moving upwardly through the inlet willbe carried by the air stream set up by the fan rearwardly into acollection receptacle mounted on the frame without the necessity ofbeing drawn into the fan. The fan is positioned within the housing wallto effectively move small litter particles also into the receptaclethrough a slightly different air stream.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the vacuuming machine with the frontlitter entrance flap in normal operating position but with the flap andthe control therefor shown in open position in broken lines.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section through the fan housing taken on line 2-2of FIG. 1 and looking downwardly and with a portion of the fan brokenaway to show the air intake opening.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the housing taken online 3-3 of FIG. 2 but showing the fan in elevation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularlyto the drawings, reference numerals will be used to denote like parts orstructural features in the different views. A frame is supported upon apair of rear wheels 11 and a pair of front caster wheels 12. An invertedU-shaped handle 14 has its lower free ends connected to the frame sothat the operator may move the frame on its wheels over a floor orground surface G.

A fan housing denoted generally at 15 is mounted on the frame. Thishousing, to be subsequently described in greater detail, serves as abase for supporting a gasoline engine 16 which provides power throughdrive shaft 17 to the vacuum fan denoted generally at 18. An outlet 19in the rear end of the housing is connected to a collection bag orreceptacle 20 as by a tension band 21 or other suitable means.

Frame 10 has a horizontal wall 24 which forms a bottom wall for the fanhousing 15. This wall is provided with an opening 25. A debris entrancechamber 26 extends across the front of the frame 10 under wall 24. Thischamber has a front gate 27 hinged as at 28 along its upper edge. Thelower edge is provided with a ground strip 29 of resilient material. Alink 30 is pivoted to frame 10 as at 31 and has one end engaging againstgate 27 and its other end pivotally connected to the front end of anelongated rod 32 which has its rear end pivoted to a medial point on acontrol handle 34 (FIG. 1). Handle 34 has its lower end pivoted as at 35to the frame 10 for fore and aft movement of the handle. When handle 34is in the forward position, shown in full lines in FIG. 1, gate 27 is inclosed position across the front of chamber 26. However, when controlhandle 34 is moved rearwardly to the position shown in broken lines, therod 32 will pivot the upper end of link 30 rearwardly to swing gate 27to an open position as shown in broken lines in FIG. 1. A trough 36extends rearwardly from the center portion of chamber 26 and provides aconduit between the chamber and opening 25 in wall 24.

Housing 15 is provided with upper and lower chambers denotedrespectively at 38 and 39. The upper chamber 38 encloses the fan 18 andis circular in horizontal cross section as shown in FIG. 2. It is offsetaxially, however, relative to shaft 17 and fan 18 so that the spacebetween the periphery of the fan and the wall of chamber 38 graduallyincreases from the rear to the front of the chamber on both sidesthereof.

Lower chamber 39 is empty and generally circular with an outlet chute 40leading rearwardly through and fonning a portion of outlet 19. Thischamber is axially offset in a forward direction from the chamber 38 sothat while chambers 38 and 39 have a common wall in the rear areasthereof the chamber 39 gradually increases in diameter in a clockwisedirection, as viewed in FIG. 2, with the outer wall thereof extendinginto the outer wall of chute 40.

The fan 18 comprises a flat plate 41 having many circumferentiallyspaced star points 42 each of which is strengthened by a rib 44 andprovided with an upright blade or flange 45 along its trailing edge, itbeing understood that the fan is powered to rotate clockwise when viewedas in FIG. 2.

Opening 25 is substantially square in shape and is located in wall 24 sothat the axis of shaft 17 extends through the inner rear quarter of theopening. In other words, the center of opening 25 is offset forwardlyand to the right of the axis of rotation of the fan 18.

The operation of the vacuum will now be explained. In normal use wherelarge items of debris are not on the surface to be cleaned, the frontgate 27 is in lowered or closed position as viewed in FIG. 3 with thefan 18 rotating in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2. The dirtand other small articles of debris will be drawn upwardly into chamber26, then into trough 36 and upwardly through the opening 25 and intochamber 39. The offset position of the opening 25 relative to the axisof shaft 17 causes the fan 18 to pull more air than where the opening iscentered on the shaft axis.

While some of the small debris particles will pass directly into thechute 40, other particles will be carried upwardly into the rear portionof chamber 38 and then around the chamber, clockwise as viewed in FIG.2, and as the space between the wall of chamber 38 and the periphery offan 18 diminishes the debris is forced downwardly toward chamber 39'andinto the outlet chute 40.

Large items such as cans and cartons may also be admitted by raising thefront gate 27 to the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 1. As theseheavier items pass upwardly through opening 25 they will be caught inthe air stream moving directly rearward from opening 25 over plate orwall 24 and into outlet 19 to bag 20. This air stream is implemented byair being forced downwardly from the right side of chamber 38 intochamber 39 as the fan blades 45 move closer to the wall of chamber 38 inthat area.

The fan location within the housing and relative to the inlet opening 25accordingly creates a circular air stream within the chamber 38 whichcarries lighter materials into the receptacle 20 and second air streamwithin chamber 39 having longitudinal force to drive the heavier litterobjects rearwardly through the trough 40 and into the receptacle.

Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention, whatI claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a litter vacuum cleaner,

a. a frame mounted on ground wheels for fore and aft movement of theframe over a ground surface,

b. a fan housing mounted on the frame and having upper and lowerchambers in open communication with each other,

c. a collection receptacle mounted on the frame to the rear of the fanhousing and having open communication with said chambers,

d. a power driven vacuum fan disposed in the upper chamber for rotationon a vertical axis, with one side thereof moving rearwardly toward thereceptacle,

c. said housing having a bottom wall with a trash inlet opening therein,the center of said opening being laterally offset from the fan axistoward said one side thereof to cause large litter items drawn into thehousing through said inlet opening to move rearwardly through the lowerchamber into the receptacle with minimal engagement by the fan.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 wherein the lower chamber has a largerdiameter than the upper chamber.

3. The subject matter of claim 2 wherein said upper and lower chamberare generally circular with the axis of the lower chamber being offsetlaterally from the axis of the upper chamber in the same direction asthe inlet opening.

4. The subject matter of claim 1 wherein a debris entrance chamber ismounted on the frame to extend crosswise under the front portion of thehousing and having open communication with the trash inlet opening, agate hinged along its upper edge to the front of the entrance chamberand swingable about a horizontal axis between a forwardly extendingposition opening the front of the chamber and a vertical positionclosing the front of the chamber and a control linkage connected to thegate and extending rearwardly for operation from a remote point.

5. The subject matter of claim 1 wherein said vacuum fan comprises aplate having circumferentially spaced star points each provided with anupright blade along its trailing edge.

1. In a litter vacuum cleaner, a. a frame mounted on ground wheels forfore and aft movement of the frame over a ground surface, b. a fanhousing mounted on the frame and having upper and lower chambers in opencommunication with each other, c. a collection receptacle mounted on theframe to the rear of the fan housing and having open communication withsaid chambers, d. a power driven vacuum fan disposed in the upperchamber for rotation on a vertical axis, with one side thereof movingrearwardly toward the receptacle, e. said housing having a bottom wallwith a trash inlet opening therein, the center of said opening beinglaterally offset from the fan axis toward said one side thereof to causelarge litter items drawn into the housing through said inlet opening tomove rearwardly through the lower chamber into the receptacle withminimal engagement by the fan.
 2. The subject matter of claim 1 whereinthe lower chamber has a larger diameter than the upper chamber.
 3. Thesubject matter of claim 2 wherein said upper and lower chamber aregenerally circular with the axis of the lower chamber being offsetlaterally from the axis of the upper chamber in the same direction asthe inlet opening.
 4. The subject matter of claim 1 wherein a debrisentrance chamber is mounted on the frame to extend crosswise under thefront portion of the housing and having open communication with thetrash inlet opening, a gate hinged along its upper edge to the front ofthe entrance chamber and swingable about a horizontal axis between aforwardly extending position opening the front of the chamber and avertical position closing the front of the chamber and a control linkageconnected to the gate and extending rearwardly for operation from aremote point.
 5. The subject matter of claim 1 wherein said vacuum fancomprises a plate having circumferentially spaced star points eachprovided with an upright blade along its trailing edge.